Kelli Sirianni has received her B.A.[H], B.Ed and M.Ed with thesis from the University of Windsor. Her research interests include the building of resilience, sense of belonging and an overall positive school climate, specifically through an event she has run for four years in local high schools and at the post-secondary level called Project BLAST, a one-day event that aims to bond the school population through the realization of common experience. Kelli also teaches at the secondary and instructs at the post-secondary level, including the Leadership Experience for Academic Direction program. LEAD places teacher candidates in a mentorship-based role as part of the Student Success team, and is rooted in the principals of service learning and youth empowerment.